The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

In an effective stalker shocker from the pseudonymous Bowman, a New York City cop helps out a homicidal author who's committing the very murders the cop is trying to solve--and it's anyone's guess as to who'll be the last man left alive. At the behest of his image-minded superiors, Manhattan-based detective James Montone meets with Terry Keyes, a personable Brit allegedly researching a new book on lawbreaking American-style. An ex-con who did 12 tears for manslaughter in England, Keyes wrote one bestseller while still behind bars and another after his parole. The past notwithstanding, the limey and the good-guy Yank hit it off. Montone soon invites Keyes to tag along on his next case, which turns out to be the high-profile demise of a TV anchor who died in a plunge from an Upper East Side apartment. Though the newscaster taped a suicide message, the NYPD suspect foul play. A dogged rather than inspired investigator, Montone confides some unreleased details of the death to the ingratiating Keyes. When a lovely young model with whom Montone has been keeping company is found hanged, he starts to wonder about his new best friend. Montone's suspicions are soon confirmed by Peter Henshaw, the retired Scotland Yard inspector who put Keyes away and opposed his release on grounds that he's a hopeless sociopath. Montone accompanies his principal suspect to Miami for the dead girl's funeral. With a big assist from his Florida colleagues, the Big Apple sleuth keeps a close watch on Keyes, whom he fears may make an attempt on the life of Holly's big sister Erin (a clinical psychologist with a professional interest in criminals). A master of disguise, Keyes gives everyone the slip, even faking his own death, but the remorseless Keyes can't escape a final rendezvous with the determined Montone. Top-drawer entertainment for devotees of the dangerous-games genre.

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